As I’ve mentioned before, 10in30 Fitness friends, be careful with those pre-workout supplements. Most rely on heavy stimulants like caffeine that increase your heart rate radically.

Taking 2-3 times the caffeine of a strong cup of coffee in one shot is just stupid. You are putting fitness in front of health, when it should be the other way around. You should strive for health by way of fitness, but the progress of your muscularity or general physique should not compromise health. You might as well take steroids if you truly don’t care about your health and only care about getting “jacked”.

As it turns out, USP Labs’ Jack3D contains a stimulant called “dimethylamylamine” (DMAA). This stimulant is dangerous when taken with caffeine which Jack3D happens to contain.

It’s so dangerous that two soldiers died of heart attacks in February 2012 after taking a DMAA supplement and a few months ago, Todd Battuello, a 34 year old healthy, fit man who lived in West Chester, Philadelphia. He was taking USP Labs’ other DMAA laced supplement, OxyELITE Pro.

The FDA ordered that all supplement manufacturers of DMAA supplements destroy the products but sources are conflicted. Some say USP Labs, the makers of Jack3D refused to destroy it and still sell it, while others say they obliged and destroyed it.

Excerps:

“The stimulant DMAA is not a proper amphetamine, but the FDA warns people of the extreme health risks associated with its consumption. Manufacturers claim the stimulant is all-natural, likening it to caffeine; however, the FDA claims it can “elevate blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular problems ranging from shortness of breath and tightening in the chest to heart attack,” according to a recent statement.

The products’ manufacturer, USPlabs of Dallas, priced the supplements at an $8 million retail value. USPlabs has agreed to stop manufacturing products that contain DMAA, as the stimulant is illegal in American-made supplements.”

If you’d like a “pump” for your workout and are looking for a pre-workout boost, I highly recommend getting the natural amino acid L-arginine. It’s the N.O. booster that is used in most popular pre-workout supplements. Other than L-arginine, they contain a cocktail of stimulants from caffeine to guarana and similar natural stimulants that you don’t need. If you’d like some caffeine which is usually safe when used in limited amounts, try a cup of coffee or a couple of shots of espresso, one half hour before your workout.

If you’ve developed a tolerance to caffeine and a cup of coffee will not give you any noticeable energy, then I suggest bringing your tolerance back down to human levels by having much less caffeine throughout the day; saving it for the half hour before workout time. In a week or two, you will appreciate and look forward to that one cup of coffee in the evening before working out.

According to WebMD:

“L-arginine is converted in the body into a chemical called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to open wider for improved blood flow. L-arginine also stimulates the release of growth hormone, insulin, and other substances in the body.”

WebMD also says it’s “possibly effective” for:

“…when used with hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) and glutamine. This combination seems to increase body weight, particularly lean body mass, and improve the immune system.”